# Kind of spooky - please explain this **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 29, 2005, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810 "2005-07-29T21:26:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810/21 "2005-07-30T08:26:01Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > So, last night I was sitting on my couch reading a book when the phone rang. Ordinarily this wouldn’t bother me too much, even tho the hour was rather late. I have some friends who keep odd schedules. Then I recalled that that i had quit any landline service to my house, having gone all digital now. (With the GPS locator in new phones, I’m not concerned with 911 issues.) Digital (cell) phone, cable modem, yada yada. In fact, I don’t even have a phone hooked up to the jacks anywhere in the place. > > But it was was my old phone ringing. An office type desk phone. No trimlines for me, I used to say. So, I got up to see what the hell that was all about. Maybe I HAD left a phone plugged in afterall, and somehow a call got misguided thru to my connection. > > Well, the phone was indeed unplugged. And it just kept ringing. Needless to say, this caused me no small amount of confusion and a bit of real worry. > > It kept ringing. So I picked the handset and answered. > > “Hello…?” > > I couldn’t hear anything thru the earpeice for several seconds, then I heard the distinct and unmistakable sound of a phone being hung up. > > Nervous, I decided to pour myself a scotch and think this thru. What had really happened here? As I was about to take a sip, the phone rang again, causing me to drop the glass. > > “WHAT!?” I yell into the receiver. Again, the sound of phone on the other end of the line hanging up. > > So, I do the logical thing. I take the phone out back, smash it into several peices with a baseball bat, and throw it away in the dumpster down the street. > > I go back inside, after a quick look-see around the outside of the house, and pour myself another drink. This one, I actually get to down. > > And then the phone rings. My old bedroom phone, stuffed into a box in the closet on the top shelf. > > Currently there are no phones at all in my house, save my cell phone. And that has a custom ring tone. > Weird, no? > What could this possibly be? > > [spoiler] Okay, none of this happened. It’s a game of sorts. > > Come up with spooky, goofy, or plausible explanations for this. I’ll let this run a while (maybe the weekend?) and then pick as a winner the best reason, whatever genre. Winner may use this as a sig line if they so choose, or just be content knowing that some random guy on the internet chose your post. > > Enjoy! > Note to mods: just a short contest/game. No 3K posts here! [/spoiler] Something similar happened to me - it turned out the phone cord from the receiver was loose. ;j ;j ;j ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810/22 "2005-07-30T08:30:52Z")
Mice were inside them, and their ear scratching was also ringing the bells? ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810/23 "2005-07-30T08:42:47Z")
Also, as for the sound of the phone hanging up you heard, that was just a bug munching near the microphone in the handset. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810/24 "2005-07-30T09:34:30Z")
**NoClueBoy** , listen to me. Read what I say very carefully and do exactly what I tell you. **This exact same thing happened to me and to five other people I have known.** It will all be over in a few days one way or the other. Put in a big supply of canned meats, peanut butter, Cheerios, TP, Industrial Strength Plumber’s Helper, plastic sheeting, duct tape, batteries, and other longterm survival gear including ammunition, large knives and an axe. Seal off every window and door. Put Plumber’s Helper (in the gel form) in every drain twice a day. DO NOT ANSWER THE DOOR. DO NOT BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU HEAR ON RADIO OR TELEVISION. There will be first a High Wind followed by screams. The Screaming will eventually stop, but the Fire will begin. It will be followed by the Blood, and the Great Shaking and the Darkness. Keep your wits about you. The last is the worst and it occurs simultaneously with the Darkness. It is the Howling. “Protect yourself” from **anything, anyone** that moves no matter how pathetic or innocent or beautiful. Trust only **elucidator** , **Scotch Plaid** and me. Endure. Prevail. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810/25 "2005-07-30T13:36:00Z")
You were dreaming. The ringing phones are a sign from your subconcious that someone is trying to reach you. Have you been on the outs with a loved one or a friend lately? Throwing the phone in the dumpster means you don’t want to hear from them, but the second ringing phone means they will persist until you listen to them. Go to a quiet place, and open your mind. All will be made clear. ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810/26 "2005-07-30T14:03:27Z")
So, **NoClueBoy** … How long have you been making your own scotch? ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810/27 "2005-07-30T14:52:07Z")
> [@DeVena](#): > > So, **NoClueBoy** … How long have you been making your own scotch? My guess was a bad trip or maybe PCP… ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810/28 "2005-07-30T16:07:30Z")
Nice going, **No Clue Boy**. You’ll never make it out of the Matrix _now_! Oh, and if you triple click inside a spoiler box, you can read the text. I find it easier than dragging the mouse across it. ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810/29 "2005-07-30T17:44:22Z")
I was alone in the house yesterday and decided to take a bath. Mr. SCL was not home and all the doors were locked. The hall outside our bed/bath is hardwood. As I soak in hot bubble bath and the last few pages of Harry Potter, I hear someone walk down the hall. If Mr. SCL had come in, I would have heard him. Tune in tomorrow for other tales in the sage of **My Haunted House**. ---
**Author:** ![Ragiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6de8d8/32.png) [@Ragiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ragiel)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810/30 "2005-07-30T18:31:45Z")
Telemarketers burning in hell for all eternity have figured out how to contact the living, and they’ve got this wonderful opportunity for you… ---
**Author:** ![Ragiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6de8d8/32.png) [@Ragiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ragiel)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810/31 "2005-07-30T18:48:33Z")
Crumbs. **jrfranchi** was ahead of me on that last one. You are being contacted by extraterrestrials. Unfortunately, their technology is about 30 years behind ours, so they have no marvels to show us. Disappointing. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810/32 "2005-07-30T21:18:51Z")
No phone. No house. No scotch. No outside. No inside. You have been in a sensory deprivation chamber for 10 days. It was only supposed to be 24 hours, but, a lot can happen in 24 hours. You are alone… I mean really alone. But no matter, you can’t get out, and there’s no one left to let you out. Soon there will be no you. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810/33 "2005-07-31T17:57:44Z")
These were the old 90s phones with built-in ‘autodial’ or ‘memory’ for a few numbers, no? There’s a small battery inside, like for alarm clocks and such, which thoeretically would hold enough charge to keep the memory during power outages. When the battery finally gets very low, just like a smoke detector, the thing is set to give a replacement-warning ring. ---
**Author:** ![MadderMitch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e7dd6/32.png) [@MadderMitch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadderMitch)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810/34 "2005-07-31T19:32:38Z")
You’re crazy ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810/35 "2005-07-31T21:26:20Z")
> [@Ragiel](#): > > Crumbs. **jrfranchi** was ahead of me on that last one. > > You are being contacted by extraterrestrials. Unfortunately, their technology is about 30 years behind ours, so they have no marvels to show us. Disappointing. Yes but before “do not call list”, I would always get repetitive calls during dinner. So only appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810/36 "2005-07-31T21:31:39Z")
It was a weather balloon, surrounded by swamp gas, that was reflected off Venus. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810/37 "2005-08-01T12:55:55Z")
Okay! You all did very good. I’ll be back this afternoon to list the couple or three that I really liked and see what you think about them. Then I’ll pick one, or maybe one from each genre, as the winner. Thanks, I knew I could count on you. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810/38 "2005-08-01T15:04:59Z")
Okay, I realize it’s a little after the cutoff point, but I gotta 'fess up. I screwed with your PC and set the ring sound to come on at random times. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810/39 "2005-08-01T20:38:14Z")
Okay, submissions are closed. (You guys really did a bang up job,btw!) Now it’s time to vote. I’ll leave the voting open till Friday afternoon. The five that you vote on are (in order of posting) : [Nature’s Call](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6421421&postcount=6) [jrfranchi](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6422082&postcount=15) [Ranchoth](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6422615&postcount=20) [Zoe](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6422670&postcount=24) [Larry Borgia](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6423152&postcount=28) An instant winner tied status goes to [duffer](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6422313&postcount=17) no matter who wins the voting. Because I liked it, that’s why. So, start voting. No more posts of explanation, please, just votes. ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810/40 "2005-08-01T21:11:08Z")
I vote for Larry Borgia: simple, funny as hell, and comes with a little known Doper tip. What more can you ask for? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kind-of-spooky-please-explain-this/314810.md?page=3)